Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 9/20/26 — 9/26/20

Posted on September 26, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Again, this week was largely about getting ready for Horrorthon.

I did take the time to watch Big Brother. I’m so excited. Only a few more days to go and then this season will be over with and I’ll never have to think about it again! We are now down to the final three houseguests. I imagine that next Thursday, Devens will defeat Drew by a vote of 6-1. I’ve written a little about Big Brother over at the Reality TV Chat Blog.

I was happy to see Survivor return. I wrote about my thoughts on the first episode of season 51 here. I’m looking forward to the start of The Amazing Race on Wednesday.

On Netflix, SCTV continues to bring me happiness. This week, I watched a parody of The Godfather and I got to know Sammy Maudlin and his favorite guest, Bobby Bittman.

I also watched and reviewed episodes of Saved By The Bell, Hunter, 1st & Ten, Degrassi, and Sledge Hammer!

Lisa Reviews Survivor 51 Episode 1 “Permanent Uncertainty”

Posted on September 24, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Considering how much time I’ve spent complaining about the direction Survivor has taken in the post-COVID era, I was really happy with last night’s premiere of Survivor 51. There were no returning players. The castaways seem like a good mix of personalities. There are some people I can already tell I’m going to hate (Devin) and some I’m now definitely rooting for (Lewis, Jenna). So far there are only two idols floating around, and only one of them has actually been claimed. (Congratulations, Rob.) After three months of watching the Big Brother houseguests pretend to be time travelers, there was something genuinely gratifying about watching people compete in a real immunity challenge.

Of course I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have something to complain about. “Permanent uncertainty” is almost as dumb a slogan as “Expect the unexpected,” and I found it strange that Jeff Probst seemed to think this was a new concept. Every season of Survivor, people have been uncertain about their place in the game and whether they were going to survive that night’s tribal council. Probst’s speech about this being “the open era” of Survivor went on forever and didn’t add up to anything. Basically he said any twist from a past season could happen again. And how is that a new thing? I wondered.

Finally, Probst tried to defend the firemaking challenge, which is one of the worst things that ever happened to Survivor. He even gave the castaways a chance to do away with it, but he insisted the vote had to be unanimous. Of course it wasn’t. The players know the firemaking challenge is there to rescue people who couldn’t get themselves into the final three on their own. The whole vote felt like Probst taunting those of us who prefer old-school Survivor and who know the only reason firemaking was introduced was so Ben Driebergen could limp into the final three in season 36 despite a terrible social game.

But enough complaining. There were enough good moments and interesting personalities last night to make up for anything Jeff Probst said.

First off, Kilby losing all of his tribe’s equipment in a thumb war was a classic Survivor moment. When it happened, my immediate thought was that Kilby was doomed. I was surprised no one brought it up at camp or at tribal council, so I can only assume Kilby must be the most likable man on Earth.

Secondly, I really cannot stand Devin, and I think the rest of Toka is eventually going to turn on him. He comes across as fake. Even more importantly, his crusade to vote out Jenna rubbed me the wrong way. Even if Jenna were lying about being a wedding photographer (she isn’t), that wouldn’t change the fact that she worked hard in the challenge and hadn’t been causing trouble at camp. Devin went into tribal feeling very smug, but by the end of it he saw he didn’t have nearly as much power as he thought.

I hated that Jenna was essentially being targeted for being shy. One of the things that bugs me about that later seasons of Survivor is that the castaways always want to talk about their personal lives and take it personally if someone doesn’t want to share. That Jenna survived tribal made me happy. That there was so much genuine suspense reminded me of just how good Survivor can still be.

I feel terrible for Lewis. He did all that work chopping down the mast to get the idol. What’s sad is that whoever goes to Exile Island next will probably face the same challenge and have a much easier time because of the work Lewis already did. He basically exhausted himself for someone else. I really like Lewis and I hope he does well. I assume he’ll be joining the Toka Tribe.

As for Savu, Rob found an immunity idol. I don’t know how I feel about that, because I’m not a huge Rob fan. He spent the episode trying too hard to be a classic reality-show villain. Eric talks too much and I’d probably have a hard time living on a beach with him, but Rob’s obsession with getting him voted out felt like a bit much. Just from last night, I get the feeling Eric is being set up for a redemption arc.

Tribal council was exciting. Personally I was happy Aaliyah went home, if only because it means Devin has one less ally. It looks like the show is setting up a massive Devin/Brady rivalry. Of course, judging from the preview of next week, Brady might also have chopped off one of his fingers, so we’ll see.

Are you glad Survivor’s back? I’m glad it’s back. When I was growing up, I always watched Survivor, Big Brother, and The Amazing Race with my mom. I’ve struggled a bit with the post-COVID era direction of Survivor. The fact that everyone suddenly had a sob story always bugged me because, to me, Survivor should only be about what happens on the Island. (It also didn’t help that Jeff Probst lost a bit of his edge as host. The season where he asked the castaways whether it was okay for him to keep saying, “Come on in, guys!” might as well have been hosted by Henry Winkler and a shark.) I missed the previous few seasons of Survivor but, with Big Brother being such a bust this year, I decided to give Survivor another chance. Last night’s episode felt like a return to the show that I grew up watching.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 8/9/26 — 8/15/26

Posted on August 15, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Austin City Limits (YouTube)

I watched an episode featuring Leonard Cohen. It was a bit too low-key for me but I did appreciate Cohen’s sense of style.

Big Brother (24/7, CBS, Paramount+, Pluto TV)

I’ve been writing about the show that I love to hate at the Reality Tv Chat Blog.

Election Coverage

The Wisconsin primary will go down in history. As much as I disagree with Frances Hong on the issues, I felt a bit sorry for her. There was a time when it was very trendy to claim to be mentally ill on social media. I think a lot of people are going to run into the same problem that she ran into when they try to run for office.

Kitchen Nightmares (Disney Plus)

I watched the two latest episodes. I am amazed that anyone would allow their business to appear on this show. Personally, I am never going to eat again.

Survivor 50 (Wednesday Night, CBS)

That 90-minute run time is going to be the death of Survivor. Every episode feels so dragged out now.

Top of the Pops (YouTube)

I watched two episodes from the 80s on Saturday morning It featured some of the least danceable music that I’ve ever heard.

Watched and Reviewed:

Continue reading →

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 8/2/26 — 8/8/26

Posted on August 8, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

America 2100 (YouTube)

I reviewed America 2100 here,

Baywatch (Tubi)

You can read my review here!

Big Brother (24/7, CBS, Paramount+, Pluto TV)

You can read my ongoing review of Big Brother here.

Cheaters (Tubi)

Cheaters is on Tubi! I watched a few episodes on Saturday. This show is a guilty pleasure for me because 1) it was filmed in Dallas and 2) Joey Greco is just so judgmental!

CHiPs (Prime)

You can read my review of CHiPs here.

Crime Story (Tubi)

You can read my review of Crime Story here.

Diff’rent Strokes (Tubi)

After buying their father a birthday present, Arnold and Kimberly decided to hitchhike home. They were picked up by a man who locked Arnold in a room and then threatened to rape Kimberly. This was pretty disturbing for a sitcom! I watched this two-part episode on Thursday and I was relieved when the police finally showed up to rescue them.

Freddy’s Nightmares (Tubi)

I wrote about the series finale here!

Election Coverage (Tuesday Night)

I was pretty depressed going into this week’s primary elections but I have to admit that watching the results in Michigan cheered me up, Even though the latest DSA flavor-of-the month, Abdul El-Sayed, won his primary, it was only by one percentage point as opposed to the election being the blow-out that so many predicted. Not everyone is on board with extremism and I take some hope from that.

On Thursday, I watched as the election results rolled in from Tennessee. Other than that one congressman that lost his primary, the Tennessee results weren’t quite as exciting as the Michigan results. I did find myself amused as I remembered how, way back in 2018, some pundits were convinced that Taylor Swift coming out as a Democrat would somehow turn the state blue.

1st & Ten (Prime)

You can read my review here.

Flight of the Conchords (HBOMax)

I watched one episode from the first season (Todd joined the band and things quickly fell apart, despite his skill with the bongos) and one episode from the second season. (Bret and Jermaine met Murray’s best friend, Jim.) Both episodes made me laugh. This is definitely a show that I miss, even if it does seem like Bret and Jermaine probably did everything they could with the concept during the first two seasons.

Hunter (Tubi)

You can read my review here.

The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)

You can read my review here.

Mad TV (Tubi)

Mad TV’s on Tubi now! I watched two episodes on Thursday and, unfortunately, they were even worse than I remembered.

The Office (Peacock TV)

“THIS WAS THE BEST DUNDIES EVER! WHOOOOO!” As much as I complain about the show’s final two seasons, the first three seasons are about as good as anything that has ever aired on television. On Friday, I watched The Dundies.

Pacific Blue (Tubi)

You can read my review of Pacific Blue here.

Saved By The Bell (Prime)

My review will be dropping shortly.

Saved By The Bell: The New Class (Prime)

You can read my review here!

St. Elsewhere (YouTube)

You can read my review of St. Elsewhere here!

60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday Night)

I caught the last 30 minutes of 60 Minutes on Sunday night. It’s funny that, for all the acclaim that this show has received and all the current controversy surrounding it, the only time that I have ever watched it has been when I’ve been waiting for something else to start. It seems like I always end up turning on the show whenever Anderson Cooper is doing one of his “look at my exploring the wilderness!” type of stories.

Survivor 50 (CBS, Wednesday Night)

As I watched this week’s rerun of Survivor 50, it occurred to me that the all of the Survivor icons are starting to get really, really old. A better name for Survivor 50 would have been Survivor: Seniors’ Retreat.

Music Video of the Day: Across The Miles by Survivor (1988, directed by Jim Yukich)

Posted on August 5, 2026 by Jedadiah Leland

To date, Across The Miles is Survivor’s final original single. (Eye of Tiger reentered the singles chart in 2007, coinciding the release of Rocky Balboa and the Best of Rocky soundtrack compilation.) The video for Across the Miles does feature one woman waiting for a phone call in a lonely room but it’s mostly just a clip of the band performing. Like many of the videos from the time, it’s shot in noirish black-and-white.

Director Jim Yukich directed music videos for almost everyone. If you were a band whose music appeared on the Adult Contemporary charts, it’s probable that Jim Yukich did a video for you.

Enjoy!

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 7/26/26 — 8/1/26

Posted on August 1, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Austin City Limits (PBS)

I watched an episode of this show on Saturday morning. My musical tastes pretty much start and end with EDM. Sorry, Austin.

Big Brother 28 (24/7, CBS, Paramout+, Pluto TV)

I’ve been sharing my thoughts on the show that I love to hate over at the RealityTVChat Blog. Feel free to leave a comment over there because, right now, the blog is not quite living up to the chat part of the name.

The Larry Sanders Show (HBOMax)

It’s a funny show and it helps to ease my anxiety. I’ve watched quite a few episodes this week.

Rogue’s Gallery (NightFlight+)

I watched an episode about John Dillinger on Friday. Now there was a handsome bank robber!

Saved By The Bell (Tubi)

Running Zack! I’ll be posting a review of this week’s episode in a bit.

Survivor 50 (CBS, Wednesday Night)

CBS has been re-airing Survivor 50 after episodes of Big Brother. I missed Survivor 50 when it first aired and I’m still struggling to get into it right now. I prefered Survivor when it was only an hour long. I have ADHD so asking me to concentrate for 90 minutes is a bit much.

Watched And Reviewed:

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 7/19/26 — 7/25/26

Posted on July 25, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Big Brother (24/7, CBS, Paramount+, Pluto TV)

I’ve been sharing my thoughts on Big Brother here.

Homicide: Life On The Street (Peacock TV)

My review will drop tomorrow.

The Larry Sanders Show (HBOMax)

Rip Torn could make any line funny.

Saved By The Bell (Tubi)

My review will drop in an hour.

Survivor (CBS, Wednesday Night)

CBS is reshowing Survivor 50 this season. I missed it when it originally aired but I’m having trouble getting into the reruns. The 90-minute runtime is a problem for me. Survivor is the perfect 60-minute show. At 90 minutes, there’s way too much filler.

TMZ Investigates: The Reiner Murders (Tubi)

TMZ takes a shallow look at the murders Rob and Michele Reiner. This special offered up no new insights but it did serve as a reminder of what a loser Nick Reiner was (and is).

Watched and Reviews:

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 2/25/24 — 3/2/24

Posted on March 2, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This was an odd week. Other than the shows that I watch for my retro television reviews, I only watch six other shows this week. And no, Shogun was not one of them, though I do plan to watch it tomorrow.

On Wednesday, I watched Abbott Elementary and I thought it was funny, even if it didn’t really reach the heights of last week’s episode. Abbott Elementary is definitely the best sitcom on network television but it’s still starting to show some signs of age.

Also on Wednesday, I watched the season premiere of Survivor. It seems like a good group, even if I still wish Survivor would go back to its old format. It does kind of bother me that every new season of Survivor has to have some whiny, socially awkward person who acts scared of everything and who were supposed to feel sorry for. If I want to watch Sam Bankman-Fried and Caroline Ellison on a reality show, I’ll watch more true crime.

On Friday night, I watched an episode of an 80s music video show called Radio 1990 and an episode of Night Flight that featured a lot of Canadians. I also watched another chapter of the 1930s serial, The Vanishing Shadow. They were all fun.

On Friday and Saturday, I watched several episodes of — cringe! — The Jerry Springer Show. They’re on YouTube and I watched them as research for a future post. There’s no way that whole show wasn’t staged.

That’s it! Not much to this week in television. I almost skipped this week’s post altogether but …. well, I’m a completist. Even if I don’t do anything, I still feel it’s important to officially acknowledge my inactivity.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 12/3/23 — 12/9/23

Posted on December 9, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Amazing Race (Wednesday Night, CBS)

I swear, as if I didn’t already have enough reasons to resent Big Brother, the latest season took up so much of my time and energy that I still haven’t been able to get caught up with my favorite reality show, The Amazing Race. The season ends next week and I’m still struggling to get up-to-speed with it all. That said, I did enjoy this week’s trip to Ireland.

Bar Rescue (Paramount Plus)

On Monday morning, I watched an episode from the first season. Jon Taffer went to an Irish bar in Redondo Beach. Because this was the first season, Taffer didn’t yell as much as he would in later seasons and a lot more emphasis was put on “bar science.” It was kind of nice. I’m not a huge fan of nonstop yelling. A little anger goes a long way.

Baywatch Nights (YouTube)

I wrote about Baywatch Nights here!

Check It Out (Tubi)

My review of the week’s episode of Check It Out! will post on this site in about 30 minutes.

CHiPs (Freevee)

I wrote about CHiPs here!

Dancing With The Stars (Tuesday Night, ABC)

Between Big Brother and the holidays, I didn’t really keep up with the latest season of Dancing With The Stars. (And, to be honest, So You Think You Can Dance was always the better dance competition show.) I did catch the finale this week. Congratulations to Xochitl and Van! I kind of wish Jamie Lynn Spears had made it to the finale as a competitor, just because twitter or X or whatever the heck it’s called now would have exploded.

Degrassi Junior High (YouTube)

I wrote about Degrassi Junior High here!

Dr. Phil (YouTube)

On Monday, largely as a result of watching HBO’s Love Has Won docuseries, I went down the Dr. Phil cult rabbit hole and I watched two episodes. The first featured an unstable woman who had been brainwashed by a fake psychic. I followed this up with an episode in which a cult leader was confronted by anti-cult activist Rick Ross. The cult leader started out trying to be smooth and clever but he lost it as soon as he was challenged. I’ve been pretty critical of Dr. Phil in the past but I do always enjoy watching him take down a cult leader.

On Wednesday, I watched an episode about a husband and a wife who had been having issues ever since the wife lost a good deal of weight and became “too hot.” Personally, I think everyone was too judgmental of the wife. She was just having a good time and if her husband couldn’t handle not being the center of attention anymore, well then I guess it just sucks to be him.

Fantasy Island (YouTube)

I wrote about Fantasy Island here!

Frasier (Paramount Plus)

Finally, after being so disappointed with the premiere, I watched episodes two and three of the Frasier revival. The second episode featured Frasier trying to connect with Freddy and meeting his son’s co-workers (none of whom knew that Frasier was Freddy’s father). The third and marginally better episode featured Frasier trying to overcome his “celebrity” status and be taken seriously as a Harvard lecturer.

Both episodes suffered from the same problem, which was also present in the premiere. Kelsey Grammer does his usual good work. At this point, he might as well be Frasier Crane. But all of the other characters are either underwritten or just plan unlikable. Freddy is a self-righteous jerk and, considering who his parents are and how he was portrayed as a child, it makes no sense that he would grow up to become a blue collar sports fanatic. Next door neighbor Eve is boring. Frasier’s Harvard colleagues are clichés. Watching the show is depressing because you’re like, “Frasier gave up that great apartment in Seattle for this!?” That’s the problem with reboots. No one wants to think about classic TV characters getting older and moving into a less impressive apartment.

Friday the 13th: The Series (YouTube)

I wrote about Friday the 13th here!

Hell’s Kitchen (Thursday Night, Fox and Hulu)

I got caught up on Hell’s Kitchen this week. Both Jason and Carmen need to get over themselves. I hope Ryan wins because I like listening to the sound of his voice.

Jennifer Slept Here (YouTube)

And my review is here!

Kitchen Nightmares (Monday Night, FOX)

There were two new episodes this week. Gordon Ramsay saved a historic hot dog place and then he saved an Indian restaurant. The first episode was entertaining because of all the personal drama between the owners. Seriously, don’t ever try to run a business with someone who you are no longer sleeping with. The second episode was sweet because the owner was such a nice guy but he also drove everyone crazy because he was a micromanager. By the end of the show, he was trying to enjoy being retired. It’s always kind of nice to see Chef Ramsay being nice to people, as opposed to telling them to “GET OUT!”

The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)

I wrote about The Love Boat here!

Monsters (Tubi)

I wrote about Monsters here!

Night Flight (Night Flight Plus)

On Friday night, I watched a Christmas special from some time in the late 80s. There was some fun new wave-style Christmas music, though the show was stolen by Tony Bennett’s far more traditional style.

Shrek the Halls (ABC, Saturday Night)

I didn’t realize how much I miss Shrek and the gang until I watched this 2007 special earlier tonight. Christmas is a season that even an ill-tempted ogre can enjoy!

The Simpsons (Disney+)

On Tuesday night, I watched an old episode of The Simpsons. Feeling that The Itchy and Scratchy Show needed to be shaken up with a new character, the show’s producers demanded that an obnoxious dog named Poochie be added to the cast. Homer was cast as Poochie but the viewing public did not react quite as positively to the new character as Homer was hoping. This episode made me laugh more than a few times. I especially liked that a new character named Roy suddenly showed up in the Simpson household at the same time Poochie was showing up on Itchy and Scratchy. Everyone pretended like Roy had always been there but, after Poochie was killed off, Roy also announced that he was leaving the Simpson household to move on with “two sexy ladies.”

Survivor (CBS, Wednesday Night)

Emily was voted out after Julie played an immunity idol. Boooo! Seriously, that sucks. Emily was the only person on the show that I liked. All of the stupid twists and immunity idols are causing good players to get voted out and I’m getting kind of tired of it. What I wouldn’t give for a season that was a return to Survivor basics, with no idols, no twists, and no weepy backstories.

T and T (Tubi)

I wrote about T and T here!

Welcome Back, Kotter (Tubi)

I wrote about Welcome Back, Kotter here!

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 11/19/23 — 11/25/23

Posted on November 25, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! Here’s a few thoughts on what I watched this week, in between shopping, eating Thanksgiving dinner, and celebrating Erin’s birthday!

The Amazing Race (Wednesday Night, CBS)

The Race continued! My sister and I need to get on this show while we still can.

Baywatch Nights (YouTube)

I wrote about Baywatch Nights here!

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (Apple TV+)

Erin and I watched this on Wednesday night, as we do every November. You can read her thoughts here!

Check It Out (Tubi)

I watched another episode of this show earlier today. Unless I fall asleep, I’ll be posting a review of it in an hour or two. (Warning: There’s a very good chance that I might fall asleep.)

CHiPs (Freevvee)

I wrote about CHiPs here!

Degrassi Junior High (YouTube)

I wrote about Degrassi here!

Dr. Phil (YouTube)

I watched an episode of Dr. Phil this afternoon, just because I needed some background noise. Dr. Phil was yelling at a woman who was cheating on her husband.

Fantasy Island (Daily Motion)

I wrote about Fantasy Island here!

Football: Commanders vs Cowboys (Thursday Afternoon)

Football: 49ers vs Seahawks (Thursday Night)

Football: Packers vs Lions (Thursday Morning)

Yep, the family was watching football all Thursday and I occasionally glanced at the television. I was happy that the Cowboys beat the Commanders. I can’t remember who won the other games. I accidentally called the Commanders by their original name and I got yelled at by my cousin. Bleh.

Happy Hour (YouTube)

I watched an episode of this 90s, celeb-themed game show on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, one of the celebs was Danny Masterson so I cringed whenever the camera went past him.

Highway to Heaven (Tubi)

I wrote about Highway to Heaven here!

Jennifer Slept Here (YouTube)

I wrote about Jennifer Slept Here on Thursday.

Kitchen Nightmares (Tuesday Night, Fox)

On Tuesday, I watched the latest episode of Kitchen Nightmares, which featured Gordon Ramsay helping out a married couple who were on the verge of divorcing over their restaurant. I always like it when Gordon shows off his nice side and he seemed to really care about this couple. On Wednesday, I rewatched the classic Amy’s Baking Company episode on Hulu.

The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)

I wrote about The Love Boat here!

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (Thursday Morning, NBC)

It’s not Thanksgiving without the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade playing in the background. I watched some of it with my family. I liked the balloons but I got tired of all the reporters talking.

Monsters (Tubi)

I wrote about Monsters here!

Snub (YouTube)

This is a British music show from the late 80s. I watched the first episode on Friday night. Three bands performed. I particularly liked Fugazi’s performance.

Survivor (Wednesday Night, CBS)

Crazy Eye Kendra is gone so that’s a good thing!

T and T (Tubi)

I wrote about T and T here!

Welcome Back Kotter (Tubi)

I wrote about Welcome Back Kotter here!

WKRP In Cincinnati (DVD)

On Tuesday night, Jeff and I watched the classic “I thought turkey could fly” episode of this 70s sitcom. This episode always makes me laugh. Jeff has the entire series on DVD so who knows? This could be a future entry in my retro television reviews!

Yes, Prime Minister (Monday Night, PBS)

This week’s episode was amazingly cynical, even by the standards of this rather cynical show. Sir Humphrey effortlessly manipulated Jim Hacker into nominating a corrupt banker to an important post. Somehow, it was also quite funny. There’s just something about the way that poor, earnest (if occasionally pompous) Jim Hacker continually falls for every scheme that Sir Humphrey comes up with. It helps that the schemes usually seem to turn out for the best. If anything, Sir Humphrey might have a point about the importance of not giving the Prime Minister too much room to think for himself.